McShay: Young shows difficulty of evaluating QBs

In explaining why he believes quarterback is the hardest position to evaluate among college prospects, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay used Vince Young as an example.

The Titans made Young the third overall pick in 2006 following a season in which he led Texas to a national championship and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. But after five up-and-down years here, Young is expected to be traded or released when the lockout comes to an end.

“The problem is that you can trust college coaches, and you learn that there are guys you can trust more than others. But often times, quarterbacks aren’t put in tough positions (in college),” McShay said. “So coaches won’t know there’s an issue that’s there or that’s looming.

“I think Vince Young, with Mack Brown and that coaching staff, is a perfect example. He was successful at Texas and everything went pretty much Vince Young’s way. But when he got to Tennessee and the NFL, and things weren’t going his way, scouts had very little idea he was going to handle things the way he did. He didn’t have the mental toughness.”

With one quarterback-of-the-future likely to be gone soon, the Titans now find themselves with the challenge of trying to find another long-term starter.

“It’s a hard thing,” McShay said of evaluating college quarterbacks. “First of all, on the field, what system is he running? What protection is he getting? How well has he been coached mechanically? How good are his receivers? Did he have a run game that helped set up the pass?

“All of those things go into a quarterback being successful, and the other intangible you look at is variables off the field. How hard of a worker is he? Has he maximized his tools? Is he the first one in and last out? Does he study tape? Does he love it? Does he eat (football as) his breakfast, lunch, dinner every day – just eat football?

“All those different variables make it the hardest position to evaluate.”